Friday, January 2, 2009

POOLSIDE MUSINGS

Today, I am blogging to you poolside. The weather down here has been hot (around 100 + degrees) and sunny. Although there is a slight breeze, the air is otherwise still. The birds are taking an afternoon nap, the neighbours have all taken respite indoors and the only sound on the street is the distant chime of the ice cream truck.

Yesterday we went across the street to the one of the four gay and/or lesbian couples on the street for drinks. I started out with champagne and helped finish off 4 bottles of varying white wines. Needless to say a massive headache started immediately.

I mentioned earlier about the four gay and/or lesbian couples on the street. This may not seem unusual to some of you and if we lived in a different neighbourhood, it would not be so unusual for us either.

You see, when Stuart and I met I lived in a very artistic, free and easy port city of Fremantle and Stuart lived out here in the far outer suburbs. When it came time for us to buy a house together, we started had to stay in the same area Stuart lived so the kids didn't have to change schools.

It took a lot of adjustment for me to move to the outer suburbs, with the manicured lawns and lack of shopping and coffee shops. However we found a house that soothed all of my needs for outside life.

So in the outer suburbs there is an extreme lack of gay folks, which was another adjustment for me. Australia, as a whole is not a homophobic country and the city where we live is the second most gay-friendly city in Australia (only behind Sydney). However there is a lack of visibility and sociability which at times can feel quite isolating.

We move to this new house on a quiet cul-de-sac and within a week, met the two gay guys across the street, the lesbian couple two houses down and the other gay couple on the corner. We all moved to the street within six months of each other.

On top of this, they have just built a new coffee shop around the corner and an Italian food store where I can buy mangoes and tomatoes in bulk.

For Christmas Courtney (the daughter) gave me a cookbook by Maggie Beer. Maggie Beer is somewhat similar to an Australian Martha Stewart minus the pretentious handicraft.

She has a farm where she grown fruits, vegetables, grapes (for verjuice) and pheasants. She spends her whole life growing things and cooking "rustic" foods from her and neighbouring farms and bakeries.

I have been reading the stories in this cookbook and it has re-kindled my dream of having a farm to grow fruit and vegetables and making foods directly from the garden. I want chickens for the fresh eggs, and to raise a few cows to get the perfect cuts of beef.

Stuart tells me that my currently lifestyle of waking up at 11 and watching Golden Girls all day then taking an afternoon nap does not fit into this dream.

Maybe he is right, but the last I checked dreams only happen when asleep.